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Holy carp, these fish are trouble

And only quick action on the part of Canadian authorities — and especially the U.S. government — can plug this profound threat to the Great Lakes.

So says a recent report by the Toronto-based, non-partisan environmental group Environmental Defence, whose report, Tipping the Scales: How Canada and Ontario Can Prevent an Asian Carp Invasion of the Great Lakes, outlines the threat and pitches recommendations on what the group says can be done to prevent Asian carp from establishing in the lakes.

The issue is nothing new — but the window of opportunity to act is becoming smaller, say the study’s authors.

“The point is, Asian carp have not invaded yet,” says Nancy Goucher, water campaign manager with Environmental Defence. “There are no established reproducing populations in the Great Lakes to this date that scientists are aware of. And that leaves us with time to act. Right now is the time for our governments to be stepping up their game and doing everything that they can to protect the health of the Great Lakes."

And if no action is taken, glance south of the 49th parallel for a taste of what the dreaded creatures, which wreak havoc on ecosystems, steal food from other fish species, breed quickly and have no natural predators, have done to boating and tourism industries in U.S. waters where they have already invaded. Asian carp now compose as much as 95% of the fish in some Illinois rivers.

Silver carp have an "uncanny" ability to jump over a metre high out of the water, Goucher said, adding in areas of the U.S., where the invasive species have already infiltrated, the fish “literally fly through the air,” often striking boaters and their equipment .

"People have been hurt,” she added.

Then there’s the economic ramifications of an Asian carp invasion, which would mean fewer prized sport and commercial fish species in the Great Lakes, leaving the binational Great Lakes fishery, valued at US$7 billion annually, as well as Ontario’s boating and tourism industries, at severe risk.

Some water systems adjust to invasive species, but not so easily to Asian carp. Mostly, not at all.

The fish push out native species because of their ability to consume so much food, as much as 20% of their body weight in a single day.

"What that means is we might not have as many walleye or perch or the sport fish that anglers like ... they would definitely cause more damage than good,” said Goucher, adding Asian carp tend to consume from the bottom of the food chain, feasting on algae and plankton.

"Native fish, especially juvenile fish, need that food source to be able to grow big enough to compete with their predators,” Goucher said.

“So, if they're not growing quickly enough, then the juvenile fish will die off."

Officials predict that if Asian carp get into Lake Michigan, they would spread to Lake Huron and Georgian Bay within five years and into Lake Erie within 20 years.

Scientists are “uncertain" as to how long it would take Asian carp to arrive in Lake Superior and Lake Ontario, Goucher said. But recent federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans studies of what rivers are farourable for Asian carp, determined six out of 12 tributaries in Lake Superior would be suitable habitat.

"So, that is concerning for Lake Superior residents,” Goucher said.

Currently, the only thing stopping Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes at its most vulnerable point is a series of electric fences in the Chicago Area Waterway System, which connect the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. However, these fences are not failsafe and a permanent solution is needed to stop invasive species from moving between the two watersheds, Environmental Defence argues.

"The time for action for the U.S would have been prior to them introducing (Asian carp) into fish farms,” Goucher said.

“But, of course, at that time, they didn't understand the implications. But we do today, so that's why it’s so important to take immediate action to prevent them from getting into the Great Lakes.

"What we're asking is that the U.S. government permanently block those barriers.”

Easier said than done.

Last year, Great Lakes states lost another round in the legal battle to halt the spread of invasive Asian carp from the Mississippi River Basin. A federal district court dismissed the suit brought by Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chicago’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, seeking measures to prevent Asian carp from moving through the Chicago Area Waterway System into Lake Michigan.

Environmental Defence says the ball is primarily in the U.S. court — but that doesn’t mean Canada has to play mere spectator.

"So, the exact solution that they choose is going to be something that we're going to have to wait and see,” Goucher said. “Canada can do its part by encouraging the U.S. to come up with a solution that is permanent and make sure that they implement it right away."

Neil Caughill is anxious for such a solution.

A stakeholder on many fronts — the St. Joseph Island Hunters and Anglers Association president also heads up the St. Joseph Island Chamber of Commerce — Caughill is eager to see the problem stemmed. By anyone.

“I also own a motel and I can tell you the way that the fishing has deteriorated has had a great impact on our business and several other businesses in the area,” Caughill said. “So if this species was to come any further, it’s just going to devastate tourism even that much more.

“As someone involved in hunters and anglers and deeply involved in conservation, it’s heavily on our minds because if this species does reach the Great Lakes, it could potentially wipe out sport fishing.”

Lobbying efforts will likely be compliments of Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, with which Caughill’s island group is associated.

“We do have a political branch there that will be voicing their opinion, even more than what they have been as this goes further along,” he added.